Decontamination cover for decontaminating an object

ABSTRACT

Provided is a decontamination cover to be applied over an object to be decontaminated. The decontamination cover includes a sheet-like body formed from a pliable material, and includes an outward-facing surface that is substantially opaque to UVC light and an inward-facing surface that is to be arranged opposite a surface of the object to be decontaminated. A plurality of UVC sources are exposed at the inward-facing surface, and a plurality of spacers are arranged among the UVC sources to maintain a suitable separation between the UVC sources and the surface of the object to be decontaminated. This suitable separation promotes complete coverage of the surface with UVC light emitted by the UVC sources.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This application relates generally to an apparatus for rendering anobject pathogen reduced and, more particularly, to a flexible cover orblanket including a plurality of ultraviolet light sources that, whenilluminated, irradiate ultraviolet light onto an object on which thecover is placed.

2. Description of Related Art

Hospitals and other healthcare environments commonly include objectssuch as infusion pumps, keyboards, bed rails, remote controls, forexample, that come into contact with sick patients, medical personneltreating sick patients, or other sources of pathogens. Pathogenstransferred to such objects may subsequently spread to differentpatients and medical personnel unless the surfaces of those objects areproperly cleaned and disinfected between uses involving differentpatients and/or medical personnel.

To clean the surfaces of objects in healthcare environments a towelettemoistened with a chemical disinfectant is typically utilized to moistenthe surface to be disinfected. The surface must remain moistened for atleast three minutes for the disinfectant to adequately deactivate asuitable percentage of the population of pathogens present on thesurface, thereby preventing the pathogens from infecting other patientsand medical personnel. However, such a process requires a large supplyof single-use towelettes, which become waste after each use, andrequires the close attention of the person cleaning the surfaces toensure that the surfaces remain wet with the disinfectant for at leastthe minimum length of time mandated by the specific towelettes beingused. Additionally, many objects are not planar, making it difficult towet all of the various contours, joints between surface, and otherhard-to-reach places with the chemical disinfectant.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the subject application involves adecontamination cover to be applied over an object to be decontaminated.The decontamination cover includes a sheet-like body formed from apliable material, and includes an outward-facing surface that issubstantially opaque to UVC light and an inward-facing surface that isto be arranged opposite a surface of the object to be decontaminated. Aplurality of UVC sources are exposed at the inward-facing surface, and aplurality of spacers are arranged among the UVC sources to maintain asuitable separation between the UVC sources and the surface of theobject to be decontaminated. This suitable separation promotes completecoverage of the surface with UVC light emitted by the UVC sources.

The above summary presents a simplified summary in order to provide abasic understanding of some aspects of the systems and/or methodsdiscussed herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of thesystems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not intended to identifykey/critical elements or to delineate the scope of such systems and/ormethods. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplifiedform as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presentedlater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement ofparts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in thisspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form apart hereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of a decontamination coverdraped over an object with an exposed surface being decontaminated;

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative embodiment of a bottom surface of adecontamination cover comprising an array of ultraviolet-emitting LEDsources and an array of spacers;

FIG. 3 shows a partially cutaway view of a region of the decontaminationcover draped over the object encircled in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a partially cutaway view of a region of an alternateembodiment of a decontamination cover draped over the object encircledin FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 shows a decontamination cover wrapped about an object and coupledto itself to at least encircle the object.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to betaken as a limitation on the present invention. Relative language usedherein is best understood with reference to the drawings, in which likenumerals are used to identify like or similar items. Further, in thedrawings, certain features may be shown in somewhat schematic form.

It is also to be noted that the phrase “at least one of”, if usedherein, followed by a plurality of members herein means one of themembers, or a combination of more than one of the members. For example,the phrase “at least one of a first widget and a second widget” means inthe present application: the first widget, the second widget, or thefirst widget and the second widget. Likewise, “at least one of a firstwidget, a second widget and a third widget” means in the presentapplication: the first widget, the second widget, the third widget, thefirst widget and the second widget, the first widget and the thirdwidget, the second widget and the third widget, or the first widget andthe second widget and the third widget.

An illustrative embodiment of a decontamination cover, interchangeablyreferred to herein as a blanket 10 for brevity, draped over an object 12with an exposed surface 14 (FIG. 3) being rendered pathogen reduced isshown in FIG. 1. To be rendered “pathogen reduced”, at least a portion,optionally less than all, of a biologically-active organisms present onthe exposed surface 14 of the object 12 is deactivated. For instance,rendering the object 12 pathogen reduced does not necessarily requirethe object 12 to be made 100% sterile, free of any and allbiologically-active organisms that can viably infect a human being.Instead, being rendered pathogen reduced requires a lower level ofbiologically-active contagions viable to cause an infection to remain onthe surface 14 of the object 12 after performance of the decontaminationprocess herein than existed on the surface 14 prior to performance ofthe decontamination process. Also, deactivation of thebiologically-active contagions can include killing live contagions, orat least neutralizing their ability (e.g., rendering them no longerviable) to reproduce to an extent that results in an infection in ahuman exposed to the deactivated contagions.

According to other embodiments, the surface 14 can be required topossess a lower level of viable or otherwise biologically-activecontagions than a threshold quantity permitted under U.S. Food and DrugAdministration requirements on objects dedicated for use in a sterilefield, such as in an operating room during a surgical procedure, forexample. According to other embodiments, the decontamination process canbe required to kill or otherwise deactivate at least 99% of all livingor otherwise biologically-active contagions present on the surface 14immediately prior to performance of the decontamination process torender the surface 14 pathogen reduced. According to yet otherembodiments, achieving high-level disinfection of the surface 14utilizing the blanket 10 can involve deactivation of a suitable portionof the biologically-active contagions to achieve at least a 1 log₁₀reduction of viable contagions on the object that remain infectious(i.e., no more than 1/10th of the biologically-active contagions on thesurface 14 remain active or infectious at a time when thedecontamination process is completed). According to yet otherembodiments, achieving high-level disinfection of the surface 14utilizing the blanket 10 can involve deactivation of a suitable portionof the biologically-active contagions to achieve at least a 3 log₁₀reduction (i.e., 1/1,000th) of viable contagions on the object.According to yet other embodiments, achieving high-level disinfection ofthe surface 14 utilizing the blanket 10 can involve deactivation of asuitable portion of the biologically-active contagions to achieve atleast a 5 log₁₀ reduction (i.e., 1/100,000th) of viable contagions onthe object.

Similarly, sterilization of the surface 14 utilizing the blanket 10 caninvolve deactivation of a suitable portion of the biologically-activecontagions to achieve at least a 6 log₁₀ reduction (i.e., 1/1,000,000th)of viable contagions on the surface 14. Yet other embodiments requiringsterilization of the object can result in a complete and totaldeactivation of viable organisms on the surface 14 through performanceof the decontamination process.

Regardless of the level of decontamination, use of the blanket 10subjects the surface 14 of the object 12 to a decontamination processthat at least disinfects, and optionally sterilizes the object 12 byexposing the surface 14 to a disinfectant which, in the presentembodiment is ultraviolet-C (“UVC”) light, to deactivate (e.g., kill orotherwise render no longer viable to cause an infection) a portion of abiologically-active contaminant present on the surface 14 exposed to thedisinfectant. Once the decontamination process is complete, the objectis considered suitable for use in a sterile field such as a patient'shospital room, an operating room during a surgical procedure, or otherhealthcare-related setting.

Referring once again to FIG. 1, the blanket 10 includes anoutward-facing surface 16 that is opaque to UVC light. Theoutward-facing surface 16 serves as a shield, to interfere with thetransmission of UVC light emitted by the UVC sources 18 (FIG. 2) in adirection generally away from the object 12 during a decontaminationprocess. Thus, when draped over the object 12, or wrapped around theobject 12, the outward-facing surface 16 remains visible to observers.Since the outward-facing surface 16 and/or underlying material is opaqueto UVC light, observers will not be exposed to the UVC light emitted bythe UVC sources 18. According to alternate embodiments, the blanket 10can further include a separate light shield made of material opaque toUVC light. For such embodiments, the separate shield can be draped ontop of and/or wrapped around an embodiment of the blanket 10 that lacksthe opaque outward-facing surface 16 after the blanket 10 has beendraped over, wrapped around, or otherwise applied to the object 12 to bedecontaminated.

An inward-facing surface 20 of the blanket 10 is shown in FIG. 2. Theinward-facing surface 20 is the surface of the blanket 10 that faces theobject 12 being decontaminated by the blanket 10. As such, theinward-facing surface 20 includes a plurality of UVC sources 18,optionally arranged in a regular array, and a plurality of spacers 22,also optionally arranged in a regular array between the UVC sources 18.The inward-facing surface 20 can optionally be reflective, (e.g.,polished mylar) to focus any reflected UVC light emitted by the UVCsources generally toward the surface 14.

Each UVC source 18 emits UVC light (e.g., with a wavelength ofapproximately 200 nm to approximately 280 nm) while operational, and issuitably durable to withstand flexing of the blanket 10 without beingdamaged to an extent that would render them inoperable to emit UVClight. Each UVC source 18 can include a UVC light emitting diode (“UVCLED”), which is a solid-state device formed on semiconducting substratesor other suitable substrates such as aluminum nitride, for example, thatemits UVC light when energized. The UVC sources 18 can optionally berecessed inward (e.g., in a direction generally toward theoutward-facing surface 20) from the inward-facing surface 20. Regardlessof whether the UVC sources 18 are recessed, they are exposed at theinward-facing surface to emit UVC light toward the exposed surface 14 ofthe object 12.

Electric energy for energizing each of the UVC sources 18 can besupplied by a power supply 24 provided to a controller, shown in FIG. 1as being supported by the blanket 10. The power supply 24 can be aportable, self-contained source of electric energy to be supplied to theUVC sources 18 such as a rechargeable and/or replaceable battery.According to alternate embodiments, the power supply 24 can includecircuit components that are operable to condition (e.g., rectify,amplify, lower, etc . . . ) electric energy from an external source suchas an AC mains wall outlet supplied by a local electric utility. Forsuch embodiments, a plug 26 can optionally extend from the power supply24 to an AC mains wall outlet to recharge a battery, conduct electricenergy to the circuit components, etc . . . . The plug 26 can optionallybe made detachable and re-attachable to a socket provided to the blanket10 in electric communication with the power supply 24, allowing the plug26 to be connected as needed to recharge a battery or conduct electricenergy to the power supply 24 for energizing the UVC sources 18. Thecircuit components can optionally also be configured to create a timerthat terminates operation of the UVC sources 18 and/or issues an alertafter a predetermined period of time elapses to indicate the completionof a decontamination process. Further, the circuit components canoptionally include at least one sensor such as an accelerometer, forexample, that can detect movement of the decontamination cover 10 whilethe UVC sources 18 are active. In response, the UVC sources 18 can beterminated by the controller to avoid exposing people to the UVC light.A non-transitory computer-readable memory that stores informationindicative of the performance of decontamination processes by thedecontamination cover 10, for example, can also be formed as part of thecircuit components. For example, the memory can store data indicating atleast one of: whether a decontamination process was prematurelyinterrupted before the process was complete, a number of decontaminationprocesses performed, a runtime of the UVC sources 18, and other suchdata relating to the performance of decontamination processes.

Although shown supported on the blanket 10 itself, the power supply 24can also be located remotely from, but operatively connected to conductelectric energy to the UVC sources 18 provided to the blanket 10. Forexample, an external battery pack can be connected to the blanket 10 andreplaced by another battery pack, as needed, to allow for minimalinterruptions in the blanket's usage when one battery becomes depletedof energy. As another example, a so-called “wall wart” type AC/DCadapter including a housing that is separate from the blanket andcontains the electric circuit components to rectify AC electric energyinto DC electric energy can be located remotely from the blanket 10 andused to energize the UVC sources 18.

As shown in FIG. 2, the UVC sources 18 are arranged in a regular array,distributed entirely over the lateral and longitudinal extents of theblanket 10. The spacers 28 are arranged amongst the UVC sources 18. FIG.3 shows a magnified view of the portion of the interface between theblanket 10 and the surface 14 of the object 12 being decontaminatedidentified by the outline 28 appearing in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3,the lateral spacing UVC sources 18 apart from each other in conjunctionwith the distance that the inward-facing surface 20, and accordingly,the UVC sources 18 are supported above the surface 14 to promote fullcoverage of the surface 18 with UVC light 30. For the illustratedembodiment, an exterior surface or lens 32 of the UVC sources 18 issubstantially flush with the inward-facing surface 20 to minimize theinterference with emission of UVC light laterally outward, beyond theperimeter 34 of the UVC sources 18. The spacers 22 position the lens 32of each UVC source 18 illuminating the surface 14 a predetermineddistance away from the surface 14 to allow the UVC light 30 emitted bythe UVC sources 18 to radiate outwardly, beyond the perimeter 34 of theUVC sources 18. However, this separation is limited, to ensure theintensity of the UVC light 30 reaching the surface 14 is suitable toachieve the desired level of decontamination within a predeterminedperiod of time. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the cross section of the UVClight 30 emission is represented by a somewhat trapezoidal shape, with aregion of coverage at the surface 14 that extends beyond the dimensionsof the UVC sources 18.

According to alternate embodiments, the distal end 36 of each spacer 22can be formed into a point, with a minimal footprint to minimize thearea of the surface 14 shaded from the UVC light 30 emitted by the UVCsources 18. According to alternate embodiments, the spacers 22, orportions thereof (e.g., the pointed distal end 36), can be formed from amaterial that is substantially transparent to UVC light 30, allowingunobstructed illumination of the surface 14 by the UVC light 30.

An alternate embodiment of a blanket 10 section is shown in FIG. 4.According to such an embodiment, instead of the supports 22, acontinuous, uninterrupted layer or sheet of material 38 can be coupled,adhered, or otherwise applied to the inward-facing surface 20. Thislayer of material 38 can optionally have a height H, when measure withthe blanket 10 spread over a flat surface, suitable to allow UVC lightemitted by neighboring UVC sources 18 to at least converge toward acommon point 40, or optionally overlap to form an overlapping region 42on the surface 14. For such embodiments, the height H of the layer ofmaterial 38 is selected as a function of the angle of UVC light emissionof the neighboring UVC sources 18, as well as the distance separatingthe neighboring UVC sources 18. The embodiments utilizing the spacers 22can be similarly configured (e.g., height of the spacers 22, distanceseparating neighboring UVC sources 18, angle of UVC light emission ofeach neighboring UVC source 18, etc.) to achieve the convergence of theUVC light towards the common point 40 or create overlapping regions 42to ensure complete coverage of the surface 14 with UVC light emitted byneighboring LED sources 18.

In use, the blanket 10 can be draped over and/or wrapped around theobject 12 to be decontaminated, with the inward-facing surface 20opposing the surface 14 of the object. As shown in FIG. 5, a hook andloop fastener system 44 or other releasable fastener, and/or theoptional separate light shield can optionally be used to maintain theposition of the blanket 10 on the object, and to interfere with theemission of UVC light away from the object 12. According to theembodiment shown in FIG. 5, the hook and loop fastener system 44includes at least one, and optionally a plurality of flexible tabs 46coupled to a first end 48 of the decontamination cover 10, but extendbeyond that first end 48. An underside of each tab 46 includes a firstmaterial (e.g., hook material) 50, shown in hidden lines in FIG. 5, andthe outward-facing surface 16 can be provided with a region including asecond material that cooperates with the first material to establish aconnection between the two. For example, the outward-facing surface 16can optionally be formed of a fabric that constitutes the “loop”material of the hook and loop fastener system 44.

When the decontamination cover 10 is wrapped around the object 12, thehook and loop fastener system 44 or other coupling couples a portion ofthe decontamination cover 10 to itself, thereby holding thedecontamination cover 10 in place. The spacers 22 establish the desiredspacing between the UVC sources 18 and the surface 14 to bedecontaminated, and the UVC sources 18 emit the UVC light to deactivatean acceptable portion of the biologically-active contagions on thesurface 14 to render the surface 14 pathogen reduced for its intendeduse.

Illustrative embodiments have been described, hereinabove. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that the above devices and methodsmay incorporate changes and modifications without departing from thegeneral scope of this invention. It is intended to include all suchmodifications and alterations within the scope of the present invention.Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in eitherthe detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising”is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A decontamination cover to be applied over anobject to be decontaminated, the decontamination cover comprising: asheet-like body comprising a pliable material, an outward-facing surfacethat is substantially opaque to UVC light and an inward-facing surfacethat is to be arranged opposite a surface of the object to bedecontaminated; a plurality of UVC sources exposed at the inward-facingsurface; and a plurality of spacers arranged among the UVC sources tomaintain a suitable separation between the UVC sources and the surfaceof the object to be decontaminated to promote complete coverage of thesurface with UVC light emitted by the UVC sources.
 2. Thedecontamination cover of claim 1, wherein the inward-facing surfacecomprises a reflective material provided to the inward-facing surface todirected the UVC light generally toward the surface.
 3. Thedecontamination cover of claim 1, wherein the plurality of spacers arearranged in an array between neighboring UVC sources arranged in anotherarray.
 4. The decontamination cover of claim 1, wherein at least aportion of the spacers is formed from a material that is substantiallytransparent to the UVC light emitted by the UVC sources.
 5. Thedecontamination cover of claim 4, wherein the UVC sources comprise UVClight emitting diodes.
 6. The decontamination cover of claim 1, whereinthe spacers comprise a height suitable to cause the UVC light emitted byneighboring UVC sources to converge to a common point on the surface ofthe object to be decontaminated.
 7. The decontamination cover of claim1, wherein the spacers comprise a height suitable to cause the UVC lightemitted by neighboring UVC sources to overlap and form an overlappingregion on the surface of the object to be decontaminated that is exposedto light emitted by each of the neighboring UVC sources.
 8. Thedecontamination cover of claim 1 further comprising a releasablefastener that couples a first portion of the sheet-like body to a secondportion of the sheet-like body.
 9. The decontamination cover of claim 8,wherein the releasable fastener comprises a hook-and-loop fasteningsystem and the second portion of the sheet-like body comprises a regionof the outward-facing surface comprising a fastener material forming aportion of the hook-and-loop fastener system.